Joel has us feeling alright

Joel has us feeling all right
By Sarah Rodman
Wednesday, March 29, 2006

It’s not easy for a child to follow in a parent’s footsteps, especially when that parent is a superstar. So Alexa Ray Joel deserves a lot of credit for the manner in which she is choosing to navigate waters so thoroughly explored by her dad, Billy, the legendary ‘‘piano man.”

Instead of using her father’s name to land engagements in the white-hot spotlight of glitzy venues, Joel is paying her dues the old-fashioned way: playing weeknight gigs at small bars and clubs where her voice competes with that of patrons clustered around a television tuned to the Cartoon Network.

Which is exactly what she was doing Monday night when she slipped into Great Scott to perform in front of a sparse but mostly attentive crowd that responded supportively to 50 minutes of sparkling pop supplied by the singer, songwriter and pianist and her tight three-piece band.

There was a curious lack of boomer looky-loos in the group of 50 or so in front of the stage, which probably suited 20-year-old Joel just fine. (For the record, neither her father nor her mother, Christie Brinkley, were on hand.) However, when she does get around to releasing music, Dad’s fans should be pleased; Alexa Ray writes the kind of ear-catching songs that should appeal to all ages.

Betraying just a bit of shyness, Joel, who has Dad’s coloring and eyes with the model cheekbones of her mom, bantered a bit about her songs, making it clear that she writes them herself.

Slow-burn opener ‘‘Revolution Song” revealed a strong voice with a bluesy-soulful undercurrent and just a touch of a country lilt.

Other bright spots included the swaggering rocker ‘‘Make Me Your Own,” the dramatic Fiona Apple-esque ‘‘Resistance” and the destined-to-be-a-single ‘‘Jaded,” a crisp little pop zinger with bouncy piano lines.

Not surprisingly, Joel’s keyboard work and song structures were impeccable, conjuring everyone from Carole King to Joe Jackson to Chopin. She also displayed a knack for the elusive skill of writing a bridge or what is sometimes known as the middle eight. Her lyrics offered typical undergraduate observations about what a messy world we live in, wanting bad boys who hurt you and being in love with love.

At this early stage, Joel’s decision to go into the family business seems savvy. The girl’s got the goods to be a big shot. Dad can feel justifiably proud.

Alexa Ray Joel puts her genes to good use

By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff March 29, 2006

It was an excellent sign: the sight of Alexa Ray Joel in her pigtails and fishnets checking out the opening band between smooches with her bass-player boyfriend.

The 20-year-old daughter of pop star Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley looked like a real girl, a nice girl, albeit a girl who in so many ways, for both better and worse, drew the daddy card in the genetic lottery. Diminutive in stature, pronounced in facial features, and a natural singer of songs (miraculously, given that Kelly Osbourne is the rule and Bonnie Raitt the exception when it comes to musical celebrity offspring), Joel is tiptoeing into the family business.
Armed with no album, no team of handlers, and none of the fanfare that characteristically accompanies a rock-royalty debut, Joel brought a three-piece band and 10 songs, all but one original, to Great Scott on Monday. And while there were hardly enough patrons in the club to log a couple of dozen hits on her MySpace page, Joel, seated at her Yamaha electric piano, plowed valiantly through her 50-minute set of sturdy pop-rock tunes and contemplative singer-songwriter fare. There's nothing remotely indie or trendy about Joel. As a songwriter she's clearly absorbed the classics -- Carole King, Elton John, Billy Joel. As a singer she's quite frankly a powerhouse -- a nimble, soulful vocalist with genuine personality and a wonderfully original feel for phrasing.

As a performer, well, she's green. Joel announced each song with a stiff ''This next one is called . . ." A couple of them -- ''Far Away," most notable for its pedestrian chord changes and journal-entry lyrics, and a '50s-inflected toe-tapper that she should give to her father -- will surely be the source of a cringe in later years. But Joel's gifts are obvious despite her inexperience, and so is her intelligence. How clever to be honing her craft in small, sparsely filled rooms, for the curious few, away from the media glare. And how refreshingly novel.

Joan Anderman can be reached at anderman@globe.com.

Billy and Christie's Kid Shows Off Good Genes

Alexa Ray Joel performed her second show last night at The Cutting Room, and she garnered a sold-out room that included an eclectic group of well-known faces. Her mom, Christie Brinkley, came with best friend Jill Rappaport of the "Today" show. Cyndi Lauper, just back from promoting her hit album, "The Body Acoustic," brought her manager Lisa Barbaris and some friends.

Yours truly sat with up-and-coming singer Jessica Domain, wedged in between Christie and music veteran Jeff Schock. That’s when someone asked, “Isn’t that Gilbert Gottfried?” And of course, it was. To make things stranger, at the show preceding Alexa’s, the legendary actress Celeste Holm not only appeared, but sang from the stage.

Alexa Ray is 20, and she has her father’s DNA written into her fingers. She is already a pro on keyboards, and has a keen sense of melody. Her voice was distorted by an iffy sound system. But when she hit bluesier songs, all self-written, Alexa was channeling not so much Billy as a young Carole King circa 1970. Lots of record industry types shoved their way into the crowded room last night, all hoping to find a new star. The good news is, she’s here. She just needs a little time to perfect her craft in front of a less anxious and supportive audience.

Piano Man + Uptown Girl = Alexa Ray Joel!

Piano Man + Uptown Girl = Alexa Ray Joel!
Piano Girl debuts at the Cutting Room, in front of proud parents.
By Lori Fradkin

Last week, Alexa Ray Joel, on-leave NYU student and daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, made her New York City musical debut at the Cutting Room before a standing-room-only crowd that included both parents, her piano teacher, her publicist (whom she shares with Billy), and her voice coach.

Alexa sang, played piano (backed by a three-man band), and chatted with the audience. (Sample banter: “My mom said, ‘That song is so good. It’s by Ray Charles, right?’ I said, ‘Uh, no, Mom, it’s by me.’ ”)

Brinkley sat close to the stage, bobbed to the beats, and waved her table votive like a lighter at the end, while the more subdued Piano Man kept a low profile in the back.

“I’m the luckiest mom in the world,” Brinkley gushed. “She literally came out singing. She would pop out these songs when she was 3, and I would say to Billy, ‘You should record that.’ ”

The proud papa always knew his daughter had talent. “She’s pretty much doing this on her own. She had perfect pitch as a baby,” he said. “I guess it’s genetic.”

Alexa Ray Joel Concert Dates

Alexa Ray Joel (Live Music)

03/16/2006 08:00 PM - Maxwell's
1039 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 07030 - $7 www.maxwellsnj.com Tickets available at Ticketweb.com

03/21/2006 08:00 PM - Tin Angel
20 S Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 - $10 www.tinangel.com Tickets available at www.Ticketweb.com Ages: 21+

03/22/2006 07:00 PM - Toad's
300 York St, New Haven, CT 06511 - $10 www.toadsplace.com Tickets available at www.etix.com All Ages

03/24/2006 08:00 PM - Stone Pony
913 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 - $10 Adv, $12 DOSAlexa: 9pm De Sol: 10pm Ages: 18+ Tickets available through Ticketmaster

03/27/2006 08:00 PM - Great Scott
1222 Commonwealth Ave., Allston, MA 02134 - $10Ages: 18+

03/28/2006 08:00 PM - The Hi Hat
Davol Square, Providence, RI 02901 - Free

03/30/2006 08:00 PM - Maxwell's
1039 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030 - $7 www.maxwellsnj.com Tickets available at Ticketweb.com.

04/02/2006 01:00 PM - Immaculata University
Back Campus Quad, Immaculata, PA 19345 - $10 w/ Student ID, $15 Public

04/03/2006 07:00 PM - House of Blues
308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114 - $11 adv, $13 dos with JOSH KELLEY All Ages Tickets available through Ticketmaster

04/05/2006 07:30 PM - The Music Mill
3720 East 82nd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240 - $10 adv, $12 doswith JOSH KELLEY Ages: 21+ Tickets available through Ticketmaster

04/06/2006 07:30 PM - Rex Theater
1602 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 - $12 adv, $15 doswith JOSH KELLEY All Ages Tickets available through Ticketmaster

04/11/2006 8:30 PM - Tin Angel
20 S Second Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 - $10 http://www.tinangel.com/ Tickets available at www.Ticketweb.com Ages: 21+

04/12/2006 08:00 PM - Shippensburg University
Memorial Auditorium, 1871 Old Main Dr, Shippensburg, PA 17257 - FreeEvent is free and open to the public.

04/23/2006 06:00 PM - SUNY Oneonta
Charles W. Hunt Union, Oneonta, NY 13820 - $3 Public, Free for students w/ Teddy Geiger All Ages

04/28/2006 07:00 PM - Niagara University
Under the Taps/ Gllagher Center, Niagara University, NY 14109 - $5 public, Free to students All Ages

04/29/2006 12:00 PM - Lebanon Valley College
, Annville, PA 17003 - Free (EVENT IS CLOSED TO SCHOOL COMMUNITY ONLY.)

06/03/2006 08:00 PM - Taste of Syracuse Festival
Clinton Square, Syracuse, NY 13219 - Free

Piano Man’s daughter (Alexa Ray) tries hand at playing

Piano Man’s daughter tries hand at playing
By Sarah Rodman
Friday, March 24, 2006

Billy Joel’s daughter, Alexa Ray, has decided to enter the family business.

The 20-year-old has put her studies at New York University on hold to embark on a career as a singer-songwriter. Monday, Joel brings her nascent musical offerings and a three-piece band to Great Scott.

Joel - whose name was immortalized in her dad’s ballad ‘‘The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ ” - has yet to release a recording or sign with a label, but reports from recent shows indicate that the apple may not have fallen too far from the tree.

In a review of a December performance at the Cutting Room in Manhattan - attended by both her dad and mom, Christie Brinkley - a reporter likened her style to ‘‘Carole King circa 1970.” In a more extensive write-up last week, the Hartford Courant said, ‘‘Joel is an unquestionably skilled singer, songwriter and piano player” and complimented the range of her 12-song set, saying she went from ‘‘Mariah Carey highs” to ‘‘the bluesy, laid-back Norah Jones thing.”

Joel acknowledges the Jones comparison as well as those to Fiona Apple on her MySpace page (www.myspace.com/alexarayjoel). She describes her sound as ‘‘pop/rock soul.”

According to her profile, Joel has been writing songs and studying piano since childhood. She credits a summer program at Berklee College of Music with helping her shed inhibitions about performance.Alexa Ray Joel plays Monday at Great Scott, Allston. Tickets are $10. Call 617-566-9014.

Alexa Ray Joel on the web

Alexa Ray Joel (Live Music)
While searching for Billy Joel information over the web, I came across Alexa's Myspace music page. I recently heard Billy during an interview say that she composes her own music and sounds really good. I'm looking forward to hearing her music as well...

Some of Alexa's Influences are:

Billy Joel (of course), Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Rufus Wainright, The Beatles, Ray Charles, Hall and Oates, David Bowie, Frederick Chopin! Aretha Franklin, The Police, Leonard Cohen, India Arie, Claude Debussy, Alanis Morisette, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Carole King, Fiona Apple, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Cash, Dave Brubeck, Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis Costello, Green Day, Elton John, YES, Sarah Vaughn, The Dixie Chicks!!, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, Al Green

I'm still searching for some music, when I find some I'll let you all know. Alexa Ray Joel Alexa Ray Joel Alexa Ray Joel Alexa Ray Joel Alexa Ray Joel Alexa Ray Joel